Joys and Concerns

How To Reach Us

March 2016

posted Mar 2, 2016, 8:33 AM by Anaheim UU Church

I was both shocked and saddened to hear about the horrific violence that occurred in Anaheim last Saturday [February 27, 2016]. Sometimes it seems like the hatred fueled by the oppression of people of color will never end and it’s easy to get discouraged when new violence erupts as it did on Saturday. The stabbings done to the counter protesters by members of the Klu Klux Klan were not fatal, fortunately and it appears that the fight was initiated by the counter protesters, which means that there was animosity and violence on both sides. It’s not easy to deal with the fact that our city, named by Tom Tait, Anaheim’s mayor, as “the City of Kindness”, has made national news in a way that makes mockery of the motto. I know that there are many in our city that want to be part of a city of kindness, not one of hatred and violence, but in the face of this tragedy, it is easy to lose sight of that.

So it was with joy and a sense of healing that I attended the peace vigil in the same park on Monday evening, February 29, 2016, standing with upwards of 200 citizens asking that we not fight, but rather treat each other with love. There were Unitarian Universalists there, members of other faith groups, elected officials, and many people I didn’t know. Some of us were persons of color and some of us were white-skinned. Groups and organizations gathered, including OCCCO, CLUE, the Orange County Human Relations Council and Commission, and others - again I didn’t know all of those who joined in the vigil. The group marched from the park to City Hall, chanting, "This is what democracy looks like. This is what peace looks like. This is what Anaheim looks like,” holding hands and carrying banners proclaiming love and peace.

And I know that’s the Anaheim I love. I’m proud to have been part of the response to the hatred and violence of the weekend. I hope you all will join in standing for our Unitarian Universalist values of love, compassion, inclusivity, freedom, and justice in the days to come. If we all stand together, I believe we cannot fail!